Square vs Clover for restaurants: plans, card rates, hardware and which costs less
For a small restaurant, Square is cheaper below about $15,800 a month in card sales and Clover is cheaper above it, if you compare Square's free plan with Clover's $79 Starter plan at a $25 average ticket. Square's in-person card rate is 2.6% + 15¢ on the free plan; Clover's is about 2.3% + 10¢, with a monthly software fee [1] [2]. Square can start on a phone or tablet; Clover needs its own hardware [2] [3].
If what you need is a page that takes pickup orders and no POS bill at all, you can build a free menu site with pickup ordering from a photo of your menu. Below: the plans side by side, three months worked out on each, hardware, online orders, contracts, who each one fits and the questions to ask before you sign.
Square vs Clover: plans and card rates
| Square for Restaurants | Clover (restaurant plans) | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Free, $0 a month per location | Starter, quoted at $79 a month |
| Middle plan | Plus, $49 a month | Standard, $149 a month |
| Top plan | Premium, $149 a month | Advanced, $189 a month |
| In-person card rate | 2.6% + 15¢ Free, 2.5% + 15¢ Plus, 2.4% + 15¢ Premium | About 2.3% + 10¢ on every plan |
| Online or keyed-in rate | 3.3% + 30¢ Free, 2.9% + 30¢ on paid plans | About 3.5% + 10¢ |
| Contract | Month to month, 30-day trial on paid plans, as reported | Set by the reseller or bank selling it |
Two things to read carefully. On Square, a higher plan buys a card rate that is 0.1 of a point lower at each step. On Clover as quoted, the card rate does not fall as you move up; the higher plans buy features [1] [2]. And Clover is sold through banks, payment companies and resellers, each of which can set its own plan price, rate and contract, so two owners in one town report different bills. Our Clover figures are the ones UpMenu and business.com list; other pages quote plans from $14.95 a month, or $135 to $180 for full-service places [1] [3] [4]. Square's figures are more consistent, though two listing sites show Plus at $60 and $29 [5] [6]. Check each company's own page and your own written quote.
The same month on each: three sizes
In-person card sales only, an average ticket of $25, software fee plus card fees. Hardware, add-ons and online orders are left out so the table is honest. The fixed cents are charged on 400, 1,000 and 2,400 sales.
| Monthly card sales | Square Free | Clover Starter | Square Plus | Clover Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 (400 sales) | $320 | $349 | $359 | $419 |
| $25,000 (1,000 sales) | $800 | $754 | $824 | $824 |
| $60,000 (2,400 sales) | $1,920 | $1,699 | $1,909 | $1,769 |
The sums, for the first row: Square Free is 2.6% of $10,000 ($260) plus 400 × 15¢ ($60) = $320. Clover Starter is 2.3% ($230) plus 400 × 10¢ ($40) plus the $79 plan = $349. The other cells use the same steps. Square's Premium costs $449, $899 and $1,949 on these months; Clover's Advanced $459, $864 and $1,809.
Where they cross
Free against Starter: Square costs 0.3% of sales plus 5¢ a sale more per card sale, which is 12.5¢ on a $25 ticket. Clover's $79 divided by 12.5¢ is 632 sales, or about $15,800 a month. Under that, Square wins; over it, Clover wins, by about $46 at $25,000 and $221 at $60,000. A $12 average ticket moves the crossing up, because the fixed cents matter more; a $50 ticket moves it down.
The middle plans cross at about $25,000, and above that Clover Standard pulls ahead. Most small independents never need either middle plan for the rate; they pay for it only when they need the features. For Square's own break-evens, read our Square for Restaurants pricing guide, and for Clover's, Clover POS pricing for restaurants.
Hardware: the other half of the bill
Square runs on a phone or tablet with a card reader, so a small place can start with what it owns and add a stand, printer and cash drawer later [2]. Clover is hardware first. UpMenu's 2026 ranges are Flex (handheld) $499 to $699, Mini $699 to $899, Station Solo $1,399 to $1,799 and Station Duo $1,599 to $1,899, with a receipt printer at $200 to $350 and a cash drawer at $150 to $250 [1]. A counter with a Duo, printer and drawer comes to about $1,950 to $2,400. Spread over 36 months that is $54 to $67 a month, which is why Clover's cost at the low end looks higher than the table.
Some resellers lease Clover hardware instead of selling it. A lease turns a one-time cost into a monthly one that you pay whether or not the sales come, and it can be hard to leave [3]. If you are on a short lease with an uncertain future, that matters more than a tenth of a percent.
Add-ons that raise either bill
- Kitchen screens. Square: $30 a month per device on Plus, $20 on Premium. Clover has kitchen displays from $300 to $900 to buy [1] [7].
- Self-order kiosks. Square: $50 a month per device on Plus, $30 on Premium [7].
- Loyalty, marketing, scheduling. Clover's app market lists loyalty at $25 to $70 a month, marketing at $15 to $40 and scheduling at $10 to $30 [1].
- Instant deposit. About 1.75% of the amount moved on Clover; ask what next-day deposit costs on either [3].
Three add-ons can cost as much as a plan upgrade. Price the add-ons you really need before comparing plans, not after.
Online ordering: which one costs less on a pickup order
Neither charges a commission on your own orders. Both charge a card fee, and Clover charges for the app. On a $30 pickup order paid online:
| System | Card fee on $30 | Monthly add-on |
|---|---|---|
| Square Free (3.3% + 30¢) | $1.29 | Square Online is its own product; see our guide |
| Square Plus (2.9% + 30¢) | $1.17 | As above |
| Clover (3.5% + 10¢) | $1.15 | Ordering app $20 to $50 a month [1] |
The per-order fees are within 14 cents, so the app fee decides it. Compare them in Square online ordering for restaurants and Clover online ordering for restaurants. If diners pay at pickup on a page of your own, there is no online card fee at all: see commission-free online ordering.
Contracts and leaving
This is where the two differ most, and it is the thing the plan table cannot show. The sources we read describe Square's plans as month to month [2] [5]. Clover's terms are the reseller's. Before you sign for Clover, ask who the processor is, whether the rate is fixed or interchange-plus (a pass-through rate moves every month), the contract length and the early termination fee, whether hardware is bought or leased, and how you export your menu and sales if you leave [3]. Put every answer in writing. A quoted rate with a long contract should be re-run in the table above with their numbers.
Which one fits which restaurant
| Your place | Lean towards | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Food truck, café, or a new place with unsure sales | Square Free | No monthly fee, start on a phone or tablet, month to month |
| Counter service doing $16,000+ a month in card sales | Clover Starter | Lower rate wins past about $15,800, if the quote is fixed and the contract is short |
| Sit-down room with servers and tables | Either; compare Plus and Standard | The feature list matters more than the rate; they cross near $25,000 |
| Mostly pickup orders | Neither is the point | A pay-at-pickup page costs $0 a month |
| Wants to try a system for a month | Square | Hardware and contracts make Clover harder to trial |
If you are also looking at Toast, read Toast vs Square for restaurants and Toast vs Clover.
What to do before you choose
- Pull your last three months of card sales and your average ticket.
- Do the sum in this guide with your own numbers, on both systems, including the hardware per month.
- Get Clover's rate, processor, contract and hardware terms in writing; read Square's current page the same day.
- Price the two add-ons you would use first.
- Pick the cheaper total over a year, not the cheaper plan name.
Questions
Is Square or Clover cheaper for a restaurant?
Square Free is cheaper below about $15,800 a month in card sales at a $25 ticket; Clover Starter is cheaper above it. Hardware moves the crossing in Square's favour [1] [2].
Which has the lower card rate?
Clover's quoted in-person rate is about 2.3% + 10¢; Square's is 2.6% + 15¢ on Free, falling to 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium [1] [2].
Does either charge a commission on orders?
No. Both charge card fees on your own orders; the delivery marketplaces are a separate product. See DoorDash commission for restaurants.
Can I use Square or Clover without buying hardware?
Square can start on a phone or tablet with a card reader. Clover's restaurant plans need its devices [2] [3].
Is there a contract?
Square's plans are reported month to month; Clover's depend on the reseller [3] [5]. Ask in writing.
Do I even need a POS for online orders?
No. A menu page with pay-at-pickup ordering needs none. All our restaurant guides are in the guides hub.
Want orders without a card fee or a hardware bill? Build your menu site free from a photo of your menu: pickup orders that ring your phone, diners pay you at the counter.
Sources
- Clover POS Pricing Breakdown (2026), UpMenu, as shown in search results Nov 11, 2026 (a rival of Clover's).
- Clover vs. Square: Honest POS Comparison, UpMenu, as shown in search results Nov 15, 2026 (a rival of both), with Square Pricing Breakdown, as shown Nov 10, 2026.
- Clover POS Review (2026) and other review pages in search results Nov 11, 2026: plan ranges, bundles, instant deposit.
- All Clover Plans & Pricing, CostBench, as shown in search results Nov 11, 2026.
- Square Fees: Is Square Worth It In 2026?, Fit Small Business, as shown in search results Nov 10, 2026.
- Square for Restaurants pricing, ToolRadar, as shown in search results Nov 10, 2026 (shows Plus at $29).
- Square for Restaurants, GetApp, as shown in search results Nov 10, 2026 (add-on prices).
Prices change and resellers differ. Confirm on squareup.com, clover.com and your own written quote.